Overcompensating Is Making Me Feel Things
And so is Adults, and the return of And Just Like That.
Guys, stuff is happening on TV right now, so much so that I couldn’t decide what I needed to talk more about, so I’m gonna try to touch on a lot of it, starting with what feels like the buzziest show rn, Overcompensating.
The half hour comedy debuted a couple weeks ago on Prime and has taken over my socials, partially because I’ve been following its creator, Benito Skinner, for the past couple years. If you also follow him (@bennydrama), then you know his character (essentially, himself; the series is based on his life as a closeted jock in college) is a big departure from his comedy personas, who are savagely over-the-top.
In Overcompensating, by contrast, his performance is a lot realer (again…because he’s basically playing himself) as he navigates college as a gay man not quite ready to come out. If you went to college sometime in the 2000s, you’ll feel extreme nostalgia—in good ways (the music, which is all over the place chronologically, but who cares) and less good (the toxic male frat culture).
Overcompensating is fun because of the pop culture references—Charli XCX did the music for the show and also appears, there’s a Twilight throwback and dear god we’re already old enough to be throwing back Twilight. There’s very funny writing, but without a heart, this show would just be fluff. Fortunately, that’s not that the case, and while Benny’s journey to come out is vulnerable and gut-wrenching at times, it’s his relationship with new friend Carmen that’s the real heart of the show. (I almost cried at the Halloween episode!) Anyway, if you haven’t watched it yet, this is your sign to do it.
Moving on! Another show with a similar vibe kept telling me to watch it (my algorithms know me well). Adults, which I guess is on FX but it comes to me on Hulu, is like a grown-up version of Overcompensating. (There’s even a direct link: Owen Thiele, who has a smaller role on Overcompensating, is a series regular on Adults).
Here we’ve got four young, yes, adults, who are post-college but pre-grown-up in New York. The setup is nothing you haven’t seen before (Girls even gets a very clear nod in the pilot), but the show is legitimately funny, and not to be rude, but some of the one-liners on Overcompensating sometimes get stuck in the actors’ mouths; on Adults, these actors are just a little more natural delivering the jokes.
But watch both of them! Did you always wish Friends was much filthier? This is the show for you. Do you miss Broad City1 and The Other Two? This is the show for you. You get it.
Meanwhile, across town, in much more glamorous digs, And Just Like That came back and I didn’t hate the premiere at all. To be fair, I’ve never hated it, it’s just made me very upset and forced me to dissociate this show from its predecessor in order to enjoy it. However! The premiere felt like—and this is so optimistic, but—Sex and the City season 7. (Let’s forget the movies.)
They had sex! And like on the show, very awkward sex! Miranda’s storyline basically cemented it; it picked up where she is in her mid-50s sexual journey as a single lesbian, and it felt very vintage SATC when the woman she brings home (Rosie O’Donnell, perfectly cast) reveals she’s both a virgin (well, was) and a nun (is). This! MORE OF THIS ALL SEASON PLS.
We do not need to talk about that Aidan scene, ever, but I do appreciate it for being so cringe, which also felt true to the original series. (What was not true to the original series is Carrie saying their sex life was the “most honest thing about them.” HUH? Who says that? What does that mean?! But also, she faked it in season 4 when Big interrupted them doing it. You lie like your orgasm!)
Regardless, welcome back to my TV. It’s gonna be a bumpy season, and I can’t wait.
Other Shows I’m Loving
The Valley. Goddamnit this season is so good. Yes, it’s trash, yes it’s dark, but I think this is where reality TV lives now. I’m now a Kristen truther and Danny and Nia apologist.
The Studio. Wrapped for its first season, and blessedly coming back for a second season, this show is likely going to be my favorite series of the year, and it’s only June. No notes!
Hacks. This is probably my least favorite season of Hacks, but don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed it each week, and it’s still better than most things on TV. I just felt like this year’s feud between Ava and Deborah dragged on and wasn’t that funny, but there are still some lines I can’t get out of my head (“She’s not beating the cunt allegations,” for one). Oh, and there’s another Overcompensating link—Carmen’s roommate Hailee is one of the writers on Deborah’s show2.
I’m not the first person to notice that star Amita Rao is the second coming of Ilana Wexler. It’s chilling.